The purpose of an "off-tank"

Dardas

I started my first trial yesterday. I was an "off tank". The main tank was cp 720 DK, im a 412CP Warden.

I was told that I would be doing DPS, so I switched to DPS gear... but I had always thought the off-tank helped the main tank, tank.

Is the purpose of an off-tank just in case the main tank dies? My DPS is not very good as a focus primarily on tanking.

Any clarification on this would be appreciated.

Royaji

It depends on which trial were you in. Off-tank is a pretty broad term which describes the second tank that is required for some mechanic. Sometimes it is to swap with main tank (First boss MoL) or to do an entirely different job (tanking lamias in SO) or just be a second tank since some bosses force the group to split (Twins, HoF 4th boss)

Lynx7386

Typically for most of the trial an off tank just acts like another dps. He's there for certain boss fights which either require two tanks or where the risk of dying for the main tank is high.

In the former, the off tank will have tanking gear and pick up any additional enemies that spawn while the main tank deals with the boss.

In the latter, the off tank usually will have tanking gear and will focus on buffing/debuffing and healing or otherwise supporting the team for the majority of the fight. When the main tank gets killed, the off tank will taunt the boss asap and take over tanking until the main tank can be revived and gain control again.

driosketch

For trash mobs you are DPSing, maybe pull in stragglers into the kill box. No one expects you to be fully geared like a normal DPS, a different monster helm and one bar set for DPS is enough that you help add damage.

For single boss fights, you are the back up in case the main tank dies.

For boss with adds, you pull the adds together while the main tank holds the big boss.

For multi-bosses, get into full tank mode. You'll be splitting the work and coordinating with the other tank.

Dardas

What are recommendations for off-tank gear?

My full tank gear is ebon, torugs, blood spawn. for my DPS gear, I had 7th legion and Hulking daugr (for extra stamina).

I would prefer to be a main tank, but I noticed the Warden is not as strong tanking. The main tank had to go and then i tried tanking the last boss, I got DCed so i never got a chance to finish but I was having a difficult time.

Tempted to switch back to my DK for tanking trials and using the Warden for PVP... which i dont want to do

Sinolai

Dardas wrote: »

I started my first trial yesterday. I was an "off tank". The main tank was cp 720 DK, im a 412CP Warden.

I was told that I would be doing DPS, so I switched to DPS gear... but I had always thought the off-tank helped the main tank, tank.

Is the purpose of an off-tank just in case the main tank dies? My DPS is not very good as a focus primarily on tanking.

Any clarification on this would be appreciated.

for AA HM and Hel-Ra HM off-tank is pretty much a dps who can change to heavy armor and taunt or guard for last bosses. Normal ones dont even need off-tank. For vSO, vMoL, vHoF and vAS+1 +2 the off-tank has a tank role. Though role might change a bit depending on group's tactic.
In my guild it is like this:
vSO off-tank goes down to hole and tanks the Serpents shadow, tanks war and serpent fangs in trash pacs, troll boss' adds, Ozara's adds (keeps them away from group) and lamias in last boss.
vMoL tanks savages and keeps them away from group, takes 1st boss if tank is cursed, chains and roots panthers. at twins 2 tanks is a must for obvious reasons. At Rakkhat off-tank takes the hulk.
vHoF at first boss off-tank takes other boss and depending on tactic keeps it away and interrupt spheres (crushing shock needed) or tanks normally and spins around with the bosses and other tank. Helps to tank trash (bash spheres, taunt capacitors and bring to group/stack, tanks ruptured centurions)
2nd boss off-tank does damage but taunts and kites spinning centurions (spawns at 40% and onward).
3rd boss tank takes adds while off-tank debuffs the boss and press buttons
4th boss is similar to MoL twins. 2 tanks is must.
Last boss off-tank takes capacitors and works as right hand decoy.
vAS need off tank only if you do +1 or +2 in which off-tank will taunt and reposition the side boss(es).

Gear recommendations: Alkosh, Powerful Assault, Sanctuary (jewellery + weapond as these are medium and light), Torug in twin-like bosses, if other tank is also running it, Ebon in case main tank has to be away from group, Plague Doctor is always nice to have. Lord Warden, Bloodspawn, Mighty Chudan and Earthgore monster helms are nice.

driosketch

Dardas wrote: »

What are recommendations for off-tank gear?

My full tank gear is ebon, torugs, blood spawn. for my DPS gear, I had 7th legion and Hulking daugr (for extra stamina).

I would prefer to be a main tank, but I noticed the Warden is not as strong tanking. The main tank had to go and then i tried tanking the last boss, I got DCed so i never got a chance to finish but I was having a difficult time.

Tempted to switch back to my DK for tanking trials and using the Warden for PVP... which i dont want to do

If the main tank already has ebon, swap that set out since they don't stack. Other than that be more DPS until you get to the boss fights.

Oreyn_Bearclaw

Depends on the trial. The off tank is generally a more flexible role than Main tank. In some trials there is almost nothing for you to do other than keep up warhorns and maybe some group buffs. In those, you want to be able to put out some DPS. In others, you are dealing with the adds that the main tank can’t handle because there is simply too much for one person to do. In some fights, there are bosses like the twins or 4th boss VHOF where both tanks essentially do the same thing because both bosses are of equal threat.

The vast majority of boss fights have the main tank handling the boss, and the off tank handling adds. As adds don’t typically do as much damage, it allows the off tank to put more into buffs, debuffs, and in some cases, DPS.

BejaProphet

Hey, I too have recently made my debut into veteran trials and found myself in the role of off tank. I also had to wrestle with what exactly an off tank should be doing. Here is the priority list of the off tank that has become apparent.

1. Any task for a given fight specifically assigned to you. If they say your job is to grab the savages in MoL then that's your top priority. If they tell you to taunt the fangs in vSO and turn them, that is your job. And so forth for any fight they tell you specifically the off tank's job. No brainer, right? Really you are asking about fights where you don't have this instruction.

2. Watch for big scary things that are loose, and grab them. At the end of the day, tanking in ESO is about preventing one shots rather than grabbing everything. That means identifying BIG threats. Never get so clever with other goals that you let some 9 foot tall creature beat on your people. Healers in ESO are notoriously lazy at healing people through one shots. Slackers.

3. If you have no specific task, and nothing scary is running loose. Get proactive about stacking the mobs. Chain things that you can. Range taunt then line of sight stack others. Taunt a range and then go extra far so it stops on the stack. Anything you can do to stack the creatures speeds up the teams DPS dramatically.

4. Relieve pressure on the Main Tank. If none of these things are needed, go up to that giant pile on the main tank and start taunting some of them. He's got a lot of crap beating on him, and it helps to take some of it off. You'll need to stand with him though, DON'T turn it on your group. This one here was a big shocker to me to learn that this was alright to do. Because initially I was scarred to mess with his creatures. One example, in vSO I like to grab the trolls in big groups. The MT simply can not stack trolls, they are extremely stubborn on that. So he has got a giant pack of creatures on him and trolls standing off to the side which can throw a boulder that can knock down my MT through his block. I want to be taking that knock down so the MT can continue his blocks flawlessly. So if everything else is going alright, I taunt the trolls and just let them nail me till the group is ready to kill them.

Learn to think in that priority order and you'll see there is usually a lot for an OT to do, even if a fight isn't designed for you. Also during all of this you are generating war horn, being ready to jump in if the MT dies, and in the case of a DK OT you are trying to keep up engulfing flames as much as you can.

Tasear

When tank can't handle Argo. This happens bwhen...team spilts too. Also off tanks...are ones who can do or heal too.


Hmm might also be good to switch out tanks for resources and such...like tag you are it kinda thing.Never seen it done but an idea.

Amadis001

Lynx7386 wrote: »

Typically for most of the trial an off tank just acts like another dps. He's there for certain boss fights which either require two tanks or where the risk of dying for the main tank is high.

That's underselling the role of a good off tank. Even when I am the off-tank, I still am doing lots of tanking activities, just not against the main boss unless called on to pick up for a downed main tank. For example: I am rooting adds and chaining in stragglers to keep the all in the AOEs as much as possible. I am taunting and debuffing the elites [which is critical in some cases]. I am blowing my warhorn as frequently as possible. I'm still not doing much DPS, but I'm helping to control the battle so that my DPSers can do the most damage as safely as possible.

Vaoh

Off-tank -> Tanky Support build

Your actual role is based on the scenarios. You might main tank, support the maintank, put out extra DPS, put out extra heals, give out lots of buffs and tank lesser targets or be an interrupter of sorts.

Very important role to be played well imo.